HTR Product Rating

In my earlier review of the Aperion Audio Intimus 5B bookshelf speakers, I laid the groundwork for what was a rather interesting home theater challenge, one that would see a variety of low-cost bookshelf speakers put to the ultimate test. This test was designed to ascertain whether a "lowly" affordable two-way bookshelf speaker could convincingly recreate a true cinema experience in one's home if properly configured. The benchmark has been set by an actual set of commercial cinema loudspeakers in the form of JBL Pro's Cinema 3000 series. The players thus far include Aperion, RBH and Paradigm. Paradigm, along with its newly revamped Atom Monitor from the company's Monitor Series 7 line, is the subject of this review.

Retailing for $199 each or $398 per pair, the Paradigm Atom Monitor (Atom) is among Paradigm's most affordable loudspeaker offerings aimed at a more traditional user. The Atom itself has been with Paradigm seemingly since the beginning, though it is now in its seventh iteration. The Atom is a smaller bookshelf speaker, measuring a mere 11 inches tall by nearly seven inches wide and nine inches deep. It tips the scales at ten-and-a-half pounds and is available in either Black Ash or Heritage Cherry finish. Behind the Atom's magnetic grille (nice touch) rests a single one-inch S-PAL dome tweeter mated (second order crossover at 2kHz) to a five-and-a-half-inch S-PAL bass/midrange driver. Both drivers sit flush mounted inside a baffle made of a soft-touch rubber-like material that is very high-end in its look and feel. Around back, there is a bass reflex port, along with a single pair of five-way binding posts.

The Atom's driver complement is good for a reported frequency response of 86Hz to 22kHz, though low-frequency extension is said to be 50Hz. The Atom boasts a sensitivity of 90dB with an impedance of eight ohms, meaning it is suitable for amplifiers and/or receivers ranging in power from around 15 watts on up. Its maximum sustained input power is said to be 50 watts.

The Hookup As with all the speakers taking part in this challenge, I requested that the Atom be finished in black and that I receive five identical speakers - no matching centers or surrounds. In a five-speaker configuration, the Atoms will run you $995 retail. Not bad. I set the Atoms up in my new reference room, which was built from the ground up by yours truly, featuring a 120-inch acoustically transparent screen from Elite Screens, as well as a SIM2 Nero single-chip DLP. The front three Atoms were placed (decoupled) atop my three JBL Cinema 3677 commercial loudspeakers and connected to Emotiva's UPA-700 multi-channel amplifier via 12-gauge bulk cable from Binary, a Snap AV company. The rear two Atoms were mounted to my ceiling using an articulated mount from Monoprice. These were connected to the same Emotiva amp, utilizing the same type of speaker cable. This setup was identical to that of my earlier Aperion test, as it will be for my RBH test, which is pending.

The Emotiva UPA-700 amp was then connected to my reference Integra DHC 80.2 AV preamp via analog interconnects from Monoprice. Source components included Oppo's new universal disc player, the BDP-103, as well as Dune's HD-Max media streamer. For bass, I utilized the wonderful SVS SB13-Ultra subwoofer, which I EQ'ed using Room EQ Wizard, with filters applied to the signal via my trusty Behringer Feedback Destroyer Pro. Connections for the SVS sub to and from the Behringer and then later to my Integra were handled via balanced interconnects from Monoprice.

For comparison's sake, the system remained largely the same for my commercial setup, with only the amplifiers having to change. For amplification to my JBL 3677s, I utilized two Parasound Halo amps, the A31 (three-channel) and the A21 (two-channel). The amps were connected to my Integra via balanced interconnects from Monoprice, with everything else remaining the same.

No automatic equalization in the form of Audyssey or the like was applied at any time, nor was it needed, as my room is treated using GIK Acoustic products. I don't put a lot of stock in break-in, though I did let the Atoms play for a spell in order to make sure they were all level-matched and crossed over properly before beginning any critical evaluations.

Read about the performance of the Paradigm Atom Monitor speaker on Page 2.

The 23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

There is no shortage of crazy priced products in the world of audiophila. We've created a list of some of the most fantastic products ever. If you've got 9-figure Powerball money - we recommend you go and seek these products out. If you a mere millionaire worry no as we've got lots of other goodies for you to consider for your 2-channel system. In the meantime, enjoy a tour of the most amazingly wonderful, cost-is-no-object audiophile products ever . . .

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

1. Focal Grande Utopia BE Loudspeakers
Currently priced at $269,000 per pair, these French made, 94 dB efficient speakers are considered by audiophiles and recording engineers to be about as good as money can buy. Wilson Audio used to use Focal tweeters for decades as Focal’s drivers are top of the line. Check out our review of the Focal Diablo Utopia speakers if you're on a slightly smaller budget.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

2. Wilson Audio XLF Loudspeakers
Priced at over $200,000 per pair, the Wilson Audio XLF is many levels of revision past its original “Grand SLAMM” or X1 speakers - not to mention the David Wilson installed “WHAM” speaker systems of the early 1990s. If that's out of your price range the $68,000/pair MAXX Series 3, also from Wilson Audio, might be a better fit.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

3. Magico Ultimate Loudspeakers
$1,200,000? Why not? These horn driven speakers are nearly as tall as they are deep and they come with a subwoofer that is about as big as a Fiat 500. How do they sound? They weren’t plugged in at CES this year as we would have loved to take a listen. Perhaps someday.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

4. Goldmund Epilogue Speakers
Want a swiss watch-like speaker? Goldmund has the answer for you if you’ve got the coin and by coin I mean over $300,000 per pair. These box-like speakers have been around since the late 1980s but you have to love the installation with the two Andy Warhol shoes behind it. Just know the two Warhols are worth less than the speakers.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

5. California Audio Technology Elite Speakers
CAT speakers are used more by custom installation firms who seek high performance speakers that can be built into walls, cabinets or even stand on their own. Expect prices in the $500,000 and up range.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

6. Ceasaro Horn Acoustics Omega 1 with Bass Horns
$1,000,000 for speakers or sculpture? You be the judge with these uber-exotic transducers.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

7. Wisdom Audio LS4s Speakers
These hybrid-ribbon, bi-amped speakers are about as good as you will ever hear from the on-wall format. Compare with the best from Wilson,Magico,YG and others. $80,000 per pair. Check out our review of Wisdom's Sage Series speakers if you aren't into the air purifier look.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

8. Acapella Arts Audio Sphaeron Excalibur
Do horn speakers make you horny? If you’ve got $380,000 in your pocket, you can find out.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

9. DynamKKs Ultima
Are you going through your audiophile cubist stage? If so, at $365,000 per pair - these German speakers could be right up your alley.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

10. FM Acoustics Inspiration XS-1 $350,000
Talk about a “Tower of Power”. These $350,000 speakers bring that obelisk from Led Zeppelin Presence to life right in your living room without even putting the record on your turntable.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

11. Adam Audio OSS
Making their hay in the pro audio market, Adam Audio has a speaker system that is designed to go toe to toe with the big boys for a mere $325,000 per pair.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

12. Verity Audio Monsalvat
One of the best sounding speakers every year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is the Verity Audio Monsalvat, priced at around $325,000 per pair.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

13. Avalon Acoustics Tesseract Statement
Finally, a pair of speakers under $300,000 for our ultimate list - this time from Colorado’s Avalon Acoustics.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

15. Hansen Audio Grand Master
At $240,000 per pair, don’t confuse Hansen Audio’s Grand Master speakers with the Cello speakers of the same name. The Cello’s were once the most expensive in the market in the mid-1990s and were priced at $80,000 per pair at their highest.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

16. Sonus faber Fenice
At $180,000 you get to pick if you want a Ferrari or a pair of super-sexy Italian speakers. Which one sounds better? That’s your call as the growl of a prancing horse from Maranello is pretty compelling but a 458 can’t playback The Wall or Electric Ladyland quite as well. I’m just saying’...

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

17. Cabasse La Sphere
For $175,000 you get one part robot and one part audiophile globe. Not a bad value if you’ve been shopping for a robot lately and I am not talking about those ones that vacuum your floor.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

18. MBL X-Treme Loudspeakers
$180,000 gets you about the most extreme speakers ever made in Germany from MBL. Check out our review of the MBL 101 Loudspeakers.

23 Most Expensive Audiophile Speakers of All Time

19. YG Acoustics Sonja
At $107,000 per pair, the YG Acoustics Sonjas are the company’s most pricey speaker as well as one of its most lauded. Or get the Carmel from YG for the bargain price of $18,000.